| Ofcom looking into pricing of of 'international roaming' on mobiles |
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LONDON - UK's communication watchdog Ofcom has said that mobile users are being charged up to five times more on calls that they are initiating from abroad. Users would be better off using payphones or even opting for a new service when abroad, it said.
"One thing is that people are unsure of charges they are going to incur when they travel abroad," a spokesman for Ofcom said. "The second issue is to look at the international market and at the amount one operator charges another. The European Commission (EC) is working with national regulators on an initiative to combat unfair behavior by networks."
The "international roaming" facility has been a cause for much heartburn among businessmen and frequent travelers with operators adopting fancy pricing and overcharging on calls or text messages made while outside the country.
Ofcom said that steps would be taken in this direction if any unfair pricing by domestic as well as other European operators came to their notice. "If a regulatory body discovers any anti-competitive behavior it might decide intervention is required to protect consumers, but this is the same as in any other industry covered by the EU framework where there is evidence of anticompetitive behavior," the spokesman confirmed.
The regulator has also released a "Using Your Mobile Abroad" guide, which tells Vodafone, 3, Orange, T-Mobile and O2 customers how they can save money by switching to alternate plans while traveling out of the UK. Vodafone welcomed this action by Ofcom and said that users would have greater clarity as to what they were being charged for in their plans.
Vodafone has introduced a ''Passport'' tariff for frequent travelers who can activate it by paying a nominal connection fee, while O2 has announced International Traveler Service, under which customers receive 30-70 percent discounts on calls made from abroad.
Posted
on : Thu, 26 Jan 2006 02:05 GMT | General News
By : Salim Patel
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